cortege

noun

cor·​tege kȯr-ˈtezh 

ˈkȯr-ˌtezh

variants or less commonly cortège

1

: a train of attendants : retinue

2

: procession

especially : a funeral procession

Synonyms

• entourage

Examples of cortege in a Sentence

the movie star's cortege included her hair stylist, makeup artist, personal assistant, and press agent

the funeral cortege of mourners stretched for three city blocks

Recent Examples on the Web

The cortege paused at a bridge named after the band Osbourne helped found nearly six decades ago. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 31 July 2025

Christopher Furlong/Christopher Furlong Fans hold up flowers and mobile phones prior to Ozzy Osbourne's funeral cortege traveling through his home city of Birmingham on July 30, 2025 in Birmingham, England. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025

The funeral cortege carried a purple floral arrangement that spelled out the Grammy winner’s name on either side, topped off by a purple and black cross. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025

Osbourne will be laid to rest in his hometown of Birmingham, England, where his funeral cortege is expected to drive through the city centre. —Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

French cortège, from Italian corteggio, from corteggiare to court, from corte court, from Latin cohort-, cohors enclosure — more at court

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cortege

noun

cor·​tege

variants also cortège

kȯr-ˈtezh 

ˈkȯr-ˌtezh

1

: a group of attendants : retinue

2

: procession sense 2

especially : a funeral procession